Township of Holmdel, NJ, takes action with new vacant property registration ordinance to curb blight
Holmdel, NJ: The Township has amended its code to include a vacant property maintenance ordinance.
The ordinance states if a property becomes vacant or if a new entity takes ownership of an already vacant property, the owner has 30 days from point of vacancy or acquisition to register their information with the city.
In the case of the City sending out notification, the owner then has only 10 days to perform the registration, and failure to receive or respond to a notice will not grant absolution from the
registration requirements. For out-of-state owners, a representative located in the state must be appointed.
Per the ordinance details (see page 150 in linked PDF), the owner must also maintain the
property and its security, as well as post at the property the current contact information for a representative of the property, to be available for contact 24 hours/day and 365 days/year.
The initial registration cost is $500.00, with renewal for the first year at a cost of $1,500.00, renewal the second year $3,000.00, and each subsequent year of vacancy maintaining the fee for
renewal at $5,000.00. Annual registration is due by Jan. 1 of each year.
Failure to maintain upkeep and security of the property to code can result in fines of $1,500.00 per day, per instance of violation. Failure to maintain current contact information for a representative in the state for the property can result in fines of $2,500.00 per day. Failure to register the property as vacant will result in affine of up to $2,000.00.
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